Walk this way

Walking seems to be one of the only modes of movement that transcends time; it is easy to overlook the few things that survive in society because they are so inherent, but maybe the momentum of putting on foot in front of the other at a natural human pace holds more power than we give it credit. Or, perhaps rather than just the metronome of steady movement it is the way in which we encounter the world and the natural conditions walking in it provides.

We all walk unless encumbered by a physical ailment that doesn’t allow it—but most of us only walk to and from our mode of transport, and we often don’t think of expanding the activity into something less functional and more rewarding. And yet people who have dogs always seem to pay homage to their canines for getting them out the front door and on a trail or through the park, but the majority of us fail to necessitate a good stroll if left to our own will.

Some of the great Poets, Philosophers and artists dedicated huge amounts of time to walk. You had the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and his walking crew he coined the ‘Peripatetics’ who would walk together and muse on the meaning of life. Or The great William Woodsworth who was one of the pioneering romantic poets who drew every ounce of his inspiration from his forays in the natural world. It seems there is something in walking that encourages dormant thoughts we cannot evoke while stationary, and some of the greatest thought leaders illuminate those ideas in their work.

“NEVER DID I THINK SO MUCH, EXIST SO MUCH, BE MYSELF SO MUCH AS IN THE JOURNEYS I HAVE MADE ALONE AND ON FOOT. WALKING HAS SOMETHING ABOUT IT WHICH ANIMATES AND ENLIVENS MY IDEAS. I CAN HARDLY THINK WHILE I AM STILL; MY BODY MUST BE IN MOTION TO MOVE MY MIND.”
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

Some people would argue that long pondering walks are a luxury, inaccessible to people with hectic lives and myriad responsibilities. I would agree to an extent, but sometimes in life, you cannot confront things from the perspective we have confined ourselves to— you have to glimpse the magnitude of the truth. The truth does not bend for our current state of affairs, and I believe walking to be a significant activity that can help deepen our connection to the environment and ourselves. Bar the carving of time and a person’s access to natural spaces walking is one of the simplest and inexpensive activities we have access to as humans with a physical design most favorable for it.

If you have ever walked somewhere, you have previously only driven through there is an enormous distinction of experience. We have acute sensory abilities for a reason, and when you are walking through any place drenched in life and movement, there is nothing more conducive to the thrill than to move through the city bustle at a pace and state where you can fully encounter everything it has to offer.

Here’s what Virginia Woolf had to say about her evening strolls in the city:

“AS WE STEP OUT OF THE HOUSE ON A FINE EVENING BETWEEN FOUR AND SIX, WE SHED THE SELF OUR FRIENDS KNOW US BY AND BECOME PART OF THAT VAST REPUBLICAN ARMY OF ANONYMOUS TRAMPERS, WHOSE SOCIETY IS SO AGREEABLE AFTER THE SOLITUDE OF ONE’S OWN ROOM. INTO EACH OF THESE LIVES, ONE COULD PENETRATE A LITTLE WAY, FAR ENOUGH TO GIVE ONE THE ILLUSION THAT ONE IS NOT TETHERED TO A SINGLE MIND, BUT CAN PUT ON BRIEFLY FOR A FEW MINUTES THE BODIES AND MINDS OF OTHERS”.